Mouse metabolic and exercise-capacity studies
- Reported quantity
- 5–15 mg/kg body weight
- Frequency
- Once daily or every other day
- Study duration
- 2–8 weeks depending on endpoint
The 5 mg/kg daily arm is the most frequently repeated design.
Protocols · Longevity
MOTS-c: literature-reported ranges
MOTS-c is encoded in mitochondrial DNA and studied for its effects on AMPK signalling, insulin sensitivity and exercise capacity. The literature is rodent and in-vitro; no human dosing trial has been published.
Read this first
Every figure on this page is a range reported in published literature or in a publicly documented study protocol. It is a record of what researchers used, not a recommendation, a therapeutic protocol, or advice. Peptide Intel Hub is an independent publication, sells nothing, and describes these compounds as in-vitro research reagents only.
Compound at a glance
- Class
- Mitochondrial-derived peptide (16 amino acids)
- Reported half-life
- Short in plasma; tissue uptake studies use longer sampling windows
- Routes used in the literature
- Intraperitoneal and subcutaneous in animal work
- Also written as
- —
What the published studies reported
Each row below describes one body of work. The model and population are part of the figure — a rodent per-kilogram quantity and a human trial quantity are not comparable.
In-vitro AMPK signalling
- Reported quantity
- 0.1–10 µM in culture media
- Frequency
- Single exposure
- Study duration
- 1–24 hours
AMPK phosphorylation and glucose uptake are the standard readouts.
Dosage chart
These figures match the published chart for this compound on peptidedosages.com, including the reconstitution volume, resulting concentration, insulin-syringe units and the staged schedule. Educational reference only — not instructions, and not medical advice.
MOTS-c · 10 mg Vial
MOTS-c is dosed at 200 mcg–1 mg administered daily via subcutaneous injection in educational protocols. A 10 mg vial reconstituted with bacteriostatic water yields about 3.33 mg/mL. Most protocols titrate gradually over roughly 10 weeks. This information is for research and educational use only.
- Reconstitute
- Add 3.0 mL bacteriostatic water → ~ 3.33 mg/mL concentration.
- Typical daily range
- 200–1,000 mcg once daily (gradual titration over 10 weeks).
- Easy measuring
- At 3.33 mg/mL, 1 unit = 0.01 mL ≈ 33.3 mcg on a U‑100 insulin syringe.
- Storage
- Lyophilized: freeze at −20 °C (−4 °F) or below; after reconstitution, refrigerate at 2–8 °C (35.6–46.4 °F) and use within 7 days for best potency.
Standard / Gradual Approach (3 mL = ~3.33 mg/mL)
| Week | Daily Dose (mcg) | Units (per injection) (mL) |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1–2 | 200 mcg (0.2 mg) | 6 units (0.06 mL) |
| Weeks 3–4 | 400 mcg (0.4 mg) | 12 units (0.12 mL) |
| Weeks 5–6 | 600 mcg (0.6 mg) | 18 units (0.18 mL) |
| Weeks 7–8 | 800 mcg (0.8 mg) | 24 units (0.24 mL) |
| Weeks 9–10+ | 1,000 mcg (1.0 mg) | 30 units (0.30 mL) |
Mixed with 3 ml of bacteriostatic water
The same arithmetic for every vial size MOTS-c is supplied in, using a fixed 3 ml of bacteriostatic water. One unit on a U-100 insulin syringe is 0.01 ml, so the unit column below is simply the volume that carries the reported amount. Educational arithmetic only — not instructions, and not medical advice.
MOTS-c · 3 ml bacteriostatic water
| Vial size | Concentration | Per 1 unit | 200 mcg = | 1 mg = |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 mg | 3.33 mg/ml | 33 mcg | 6.0 units | 30 units |
| 40 mg | 13.33 mg/ml | 133 mcg | 1.5 units | 7.5 units |
Unit columns use the range reported for this compound (200 mcg–1 mg). Only the vial sizes this compound is actually supplied in are shown, and every figure assumes exactly 3 ml of bacteriostatic water. For any other volume, use the reconstitution calculator.
Reconstitution maths
A 10 mg vial in 2 mL of bacteriostatic water gives 5 mg/mL.
Open the reconstitution calculatorHow to read these figures
- Rodent mg/kg figures translate very poorly to other species for peptides with rapid clearance.
- Endogenous MOTS-c levels vary with age and exercise, which complicates baseline interpretation.
- Mitochondrial peptides are a young field — expect the published ranges to move.
Sources and citations
These are the published records the figures on this page are drawn from. Each one describes what researchers administered, in which model or population, and over what period. Quantities reported in a study are specific to that study's design and are not transferable guidance.
- [1]MOTS-c is an exercise-induced mitochondrial-encoded regulator of age-dependent physical decline and muscle homeostasis
Reynolds JC, Lai RW, Woodhead JST, et al. · Nat Commun · 2021 · PMID (see PMC7817689)
Aged mice received daily intraperitoneal injections of MOTS-c (15 mg/kg) for 2 weeks to assess effects on physical performance and muscle metabolism.
View the record - [2]MOTS-c increases in skeletal muscle following long-term physical activity and improves acute exercise performance after a single dose
Reynolds JC, Lai RW, et al. · Physiol Rep · 2022 · PMCID PMC9270643
Mice were given a single intraperitoneal dose of MOTS-c (15 mg/kg) prior to acute treadmill exercise testing to assess performance effects.
View the record - [3]The Mitochondrial-Derived Peptide MOTS-c Promotes Metabolic Homeostasis and Reduces Obesity and Insulin Resistance
Lee C, Zeng J, Drew BG, et al. · Cell Metab · 2015 · DOI (ScienceDirect S1550413115000613)
Mice fed high-fat diet received daily intraperitoneal MOTS-c injections (15 mg/kg) to evaluate effects on insulin resistance and obesity.
View the record
Search the databases yourself
Read the MOTS-c research briefOther longevity compounds
CartalaxSynthetic tripeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp) bioregulatorEpithalonSynthetic tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly)FOXO4-DRIFOXO4-p53 interaction-disrupting retro-inverso peptideGlutathioneEndogenous tripeptide antioxidant (Glu-Cys-Gly)
All research protocolsPeptide Intel Hub is an independent publication and has no affiliation, ownership or commercial relationship with the suppliers listed. We sell nothing and take no payments — links are editorial references only.